"Three Cheers for Williamsburgh”
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"THREE CHEERS FOR WILLIAMSBURGH.”—
We were requested by a prominent citizen this morning to head our notice of the great yacht race yesterday with three cheers for Williamsburgh, and we have done it. The contest between the first class yachts terminated as we expected, and as everybody who knows Mr. James M. Waterbury1, the tried and trusty friend of the lamented Geo. Steers2, hoped, in another splendid triumph for the Julia—a vessel which has never yet been fairly beaten.
The day was a lovely one, and by land and sea thousands of persons turned out to witness the inspiriting struggle. All along the shores of the Narrows, groups of persons, on foot and in vehicles, eagerly looked on for hours, and in the vicinity of Fort Hamilton, the loveliest spot imaginable, we noticed a large number of ladies and gentlemen of the Eastern District taking the warmest interest in the scene. The New York papers of this morning devote considerable space to the subject, hence it would be quite superfluous for us to enter into details. The Julia—our Julia—is the theme of universal admiration. The Tribune3 is particularly eulogistic of our champion yacht. It speaks of her as a boat which sails whether there is a breeze or not, and so forth.
Many of our citizens suppose that Mr. Waterbury himself takes part in these races; but such is not the case. He has never been aboard on such occasions. He stationed himself yesterday, as he always does, at Fort Hamilton. The Julia was steered by Capt. J.H. Stanton, of the E.D., and to the skill of our friend much of the credit arising from the victory is necessarily due. (Bow-wow!) The prize taken is valued at $250, but is of course much more valuable from the mementos it will ever awaken. Mr. Waterbury must be gathering an assortment of trophies of this kind, as the Julia has already taken several prizes, as did the Una before her. Among the spectators at the fort yesterday was Mr. James Gordon Bennett4, of the Herald. His son owns the Rebecca (whom the Julia beat 39 mins. 23 seconds, distancing all the others) and the old man, therefore, naturally took a warm interest in the strife. James Gordon may be some in the newspaper world but when it comes to yachting Mr. Herald must take a back seat.
Notes:
1. James M. Waterbury (1804–1873) was a wealthy Brooklyn businessman, stockholder in the Houston Street Ferry Company, and yachting enthusiast. The famed 1843 schooner James M. Waterbury bears his name. [back]
2. George Steers (1815–1856) was a yacht designer and co-owner of George Steers & Co, a shipbuilding company. [back]
3. Horace Greeley's Tribune (founded in 1841) was a reform-minded New York newspaper that quickly became the most widely read papers in the country. For more information, see Susan Belasco, "The New York Daily Tribune," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
4. James Gordon Bennet (1795–1872) was the founder, editor and publisher of the New York Herald newspaper, founded in 1835. See also The New York Herald (Poems in Periodicals)." [back]